Near and Dear

There are a few things in my life that are important to me.

Other than the obvious of friends and family (duh), I have a few hobbies that often classify me as a nerd or crazy.  Sometimes both at the same time.

Like my running?

Well.

“Wait… so you pay to run?”

“Does running miles on end sound like fun to you?”

“Running’s not a real sport.”

Yes. Often, yes. And you’re wrong.

Easy answers.

Luckily, some of my friends do get it. I have two guy friends I run with regularly. My friend Mon cranks out 6-milers on her treadmill all the time. My friend Annie started doing races with me last year.

And Annie is a passionate girl. When it comes to fitness, work and her community. So when she got the chance to combine all three?If you’re in the Chicago area or Northwest suburbs, definitely check it out! She’s done an amazing job at getting it all together and all the proceeds go to Make a Wish Foundation!

A few of us girls who are running it are using it as an excuse to wear tiaras.

As if I REALLY needed an excuse…

Another near and dear hobby I totally geek out about?

Baking.

“How do you not weigh a thousand pounds with as much as you bake?”

“I thought you were a healthy eater?”

“There are so many calories in that- I could never eat it.”

Moderation. Moderation. That’s too bad.

What can I say? The majority of us find comfort in food. And there’s something about the process of baking that relaxes me. Possibly the promise of delicious treats at the end.

And when I use the term “treats”, it’s really because I’m obsessed with Dane Cook and his sketch about treats at the movies.

He’s also very near and dear to my heart, by the way…

Anyway, that lil’ swap I did with Jessica was fun because it gave me an excuse to break out the mixer and preheat the oven to 350. And as we were chatting it up about how good of an idea it was, we decided maybe to do it again.

But with more people.

Why not?

So… without further ado… we bring you the Blogger Bake Swap!

Jess and I are really excited about doing this because, well, we like to bake and we like to eat baked things. But also because it’s a way for some peeps to connect to others you’ve already known for ages across this community.  If there’s enough interest, we’d like to make the swap into a seasonal thing.

For the inaugural swap, we’re going with a theme of “Favorites”. That means you’re going to be sending one of your favorite baked items to the person you are matched with (make sure to save one or two servings for yourself, of course).

Rules:

1. Each participant should send approximately a dozen of whatever treat they choose to make. (12 cookies, brownie pan to serve 12, etc). Of course, you are allowed to send more, but please keep the minimal to 12.

2. The date of which each baked good should be shipped will be announced once our pairs are finalized, and we just ask that you be respectful of others and try to get them out before, or as close to that date as possible.

3. Tell Amy & Jess how much you love them for organizing this fantastic operation. (this one is optional…)

*Disclaimer- the organizers of this bake swap are merely responsible for for matching the participants, and are not responsible for the items shipped.

So if you’re interested in joining in, email me  (secondcityrandomness@gmail.com) or Jessica (ssh.jessica@gmail.com) so we can get you on the list to be partnered up!

Alright, enough talk. Let’s get Friday out of the way.

Because seriously… my family is coming in for the weekend (another near and dear) and I’m very excited to show them my new place and take them out for a lil’ tour of my surroundings!

Yay for the weekend!

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